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Crappie in the live well but a cooler I have a question ? Do U just dump ur ice in the bottom of the cooler & then throw fish on there or do U put ice on the top of them ? I can see dumpin ice in cooler but any that is not in the cooler this time of year would melt pretty fast. I'm thinking about gettin cooler to use instead of my live well
I haven't done this myself but it's very handy
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It doesn't matter if the ice is under them or on top of them.....just put some ice in the cooler to keep the cooler cool and the fish will be fine. Most of the time I just lay two bags of ice in bottom of cooler....throw fish in.....before I go home I pull the bags out and open them and dump ice on fish......go home and fillet next day....makes it a lot easier to fillet the next day after they have been iced down overnight.
Thanks guys I just feel better with knowing the fish are kept cool & G the fact of not havin to rush to fillet them would be nice too :)
What is "&" mean? guess I'm clueless!
Block ice also last longer than cubed or crushed ice. When fishing in hot weather I like to freeze some blocks and put a big one in my cooler. I throw the fish on that during the day and then pour a bag of crushed ice over them at the end of the day, like G says, they fillet better after a nite on ice.
What do you use to form the blocks of ice?Quote:
Originally Posted by feeshrman
I do it like the picture KDavid posted. Ice last's a lot longer like that. Then put some more in cooler on top when I get home. Like G I'd much rather clean next day. I have also found if you have it, a old piece of comforter or moving blanket to throw over cooler helps keep it a lot cooler during the heat of the day.
This...but at home I tilt the cooler and open the drain plug so any melted ice runs out. Ice, no water.Quote:
Originally Posted by feeshrman
plastic ice cream buckets are good .Quote:
Originally Posted by Firebug2006
Glich in the program. When you use the & it puts amp behind it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodworker42
I take mine out of the bottle, cools better. Matter fact I cut the tops off and remove the plastic before putting in the cooler.
AmpersandQuote:
Originally Posted by Woodworker42
It's really nice if you can find a dishpan or plastic container that forms ice that will fit in the bottom of your cooler.Quote:
Originally Posted by Firebug2006
We used to have a guy here locally that sold block ice, it came at 6 x 6 x 18" blocks. Those were great you could put them in the bottom of the drink cooler with cubed ice and drinks on top and they would last for days on end. I would also use them in my fish coolers on long trips.
Thanks, I had not encountered that glich before! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by downsouth
I used to put the ice in the bottom and fish on top. Recently, we bought a YETI and my son saw/heard that you were supposed to put the ice in, then add a small amount of water to make it slushy, and then put your fish in. Thought this was the craziest thing I had ever heard until we tried it. Long story short, this slushy mix is referred to as a "chill kill" and allows the fish to be fully submerged with cold all around it vs. laying on top of another fish. Just imagine your hand in a slushy/ice cold mix all day. At the end of the day, we add more ice and then clean fish the next day.
Like posted, just about any size/style/shape plastic container will do. I bought a few different size rectangle storage containers at an auction for a dime each, without lids. When making a few extra blocks I place the frozen container in a plastic bag and turn upside down on the table for a few. When the block is free I hear a pop, remove the container and refill. Place bag and block in the freezer without touching the ice.
Plastic dish pans make good block ice. I buy them at walmart for less than a dollar.
chill kill is a normal technique for salt water fish. Actually you kill the fish before putting in a slush mix of clean seawater and ice. You also remove the gills as soon as possible. The saline water actually lowers the temp more than just water and ice. Fresh water works too but not as good as seawater. I find a fresh water slush leaves Crappie too slimy for me. With just ice they stay cold and moist but not soaking.:twocents
I use block ice via gallon milk jugs. When I get home I take the fish out and put in a five gallon bucket cover with a rag. It keeps fish cold but they aren't slimy the next day when I clean them. Much less messy.
Thanks all for the info, greatly appreciated
IkenI, I've heard about mixing water, ice and table salt to store freshwater fish in for the trip home. It kills a lot of the slime by the time you get home. Then a few hours on ice and they are ready to clean.
I was in Southaven Walmart today as the lady in sporting goods was finishing putting the containers of worms in the cooler. She had 3 boxes that they were delivered in. I asked if she was going to throw they away, I'll take them.
There is a Styrofoam cooler with lid inside the box. The inside edge is fluted to hold the round worm containers upright. There is a frozen gallon jug of water in the center. The bottom of the box has a slot to hold the jug upright and a slot in the lid to hold the jug handle.
I figure they will help transporting frozen foods to camp or use on the boat to keep fish in.
IkenI...you are certainly correct about the slime. That's about the only thing I don't like about it.